Nudity part of culture, says feminist

February 25, 2006 — 11.00am

INDONESIANS also have sensuality, says leading feminist and university professor Gadis Arriva. "Women here have always dressed sexily and in tight clothes. This law is something very alien to us. We have bare-breasted women in Bali and Papua, this is part of our culture."

In Bali, the head of the Government's tourism authority, Gede Nurjaya, agrees. Traditional Balinese art and dance could become illegal, he believes. He is concerned prohibitions against kissing and revealing bodies could be imposed against foreigners, destroying Bali's faltering tourism industry.

Professor Arriva says most women's groups oppose the bill. "Most of it restricts women, what they wear, how they act."

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The new law would also gag a flourishing emergence of young female writers, who write openly about sexuality. "It states it is illegal to express any sexual desire, even imagine sex — how do you prove that?" she asks. She sees the anti-porn movement as part of an agenda to reshape Indonesia, with pornography a symbol of Western culture to the many Muslims who believe globalisation aims to destroy their culture.